Exodus 17: 1:
And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the
wilderness of Sin, after their journeys, according to the commandment of the
LORD, and pitched in Rephidim: and there was no water for the people to
drink. 2: Wherefore the people
did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said
unto them, Why chide ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt the LORD? 3: And the people thirsted there for
water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is
this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our
children and our cattle with thirst? 4:
And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they
be almost ready to stone me. 5: And
the LORD said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the
elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine
hand, and go. 6: Behold, I will
stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock,
and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did
so in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7: And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah,
because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the
LORD, saying, Is the LORD among us, or not?

The children of Israel
journeying through the wilderness on their way to Canaan is a picture of God’s
Israel—his elect church—as we pass through this wilderness on our way to
heavenly Canaan.

There are three things we
see in this passage that teach us about our journey.

GOD LEADS US

Exodus 17: 1:
And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the
wilderness of Sin, after their journeys, according to the commandment of the
LORD, and pitched in Rephidim:…

The children of Israel
moved only “according to the commandment of the LORD.”That
means they only moved when the LORD moved them.

Numbers 9: 18: At the commandment of the LORD
the children of Israel journeyed, and at the commandment of the LORD they
pitched: as long as the Cloud abode upon the tabernacle they rested in their
tents. 19: And when the Cloud tarried long upon the tabernacle many days, then
the children of Israel kept the charge of the LORD, and journeyed not. 20: And so
it was, when the Cloud was a few days upon the tabernacle; according to the
commandment of the LORD they abode in their tents, and according to the
commandment of the LORD they journeyed. 21: And so it was, when the
cloud abode from even unto the morning, and the Cloud was taken up in the
morning, then they journeyed: whether it was by day or by night that the
Cloud was taken up, they journeyed. 22: Or whether it were two days, or
a month, or a year, that the Cloud tarried upon the tabernacle, remaining
thereon, the children of Israel abode in their tents, and journeyed not: but when
it was taken up, they journeyed. 23: At the commandment of the LORD they rested
in the tents, and at the commandment of the LORD they journeyed: they kept the
charge of the LORD, at the commandment of the LORD by the hand of Moses.

Believer, learn that it is
God who leads us every step through this wilderness.God leads his people by Christ his Son, the
Head of the church.We see this in the
Pillar of Cloud and Fire that lead the children of Israel.And Christ uses the pastor he has provided as
he used Moses. It is because Christ
leads us by the preaching of the gospel, as well as by his all-powerful providential
hand.It is by God’s sovereign wisdom and
power that we move and that we stand still.

Therefore, understand, when we come into trouble, it is God our Savior who led
us there just as he led them to Rephidim were there was no water—"according to the commandment of the
LORD, [thet] pitched in Rephidim: and there
was no water for the people to drink.”

We have seen a pattern of
this in the way the LORD led the children of Israel.It was the LORD who led them into Egypt where
they became Pharaoh’s bondmen—the same LORD led them out.It was the LORD that led them to camp between
Migdol and the Red Sea where they were became trapped before Pharaoh’s army—the
same LORD led them across on dry ground, destroyed their enemies, and put a
song on their lips.It was the LORD who led
them to the bitter waters of Marah—the same LORD led them to the tree which
made the bitterwaters sweet.It was the
LORD who led them to the wilderness of Sin (thorns) where they hungered—the
same Hand gave them manna from heaven and Sabbath rest.

Brethren, do you see the
pattern?The night comes then the day. But night is sure to return. “In the world,
ye shall have tribulation.”Yet, the
same gracious hand is leading us through the night as leads us through the day.
God is always leading his elect for our good.

Arthur Pink said, "the
first thing to realize in every circumstance and situation where faith
is tested, is, that the Lord Himself has brought us there! If this be apprehended, it will not be so
difficult for us to trust Him to sustain us while we remain there.”

Never despise the
chastening hand of the LORD.He is
teaching us that this wilderness is not our home. He uses the trial to wean us from it.And by leading us to all these different
troubles that we cannot overcome, he is teaching us that it is by Christ’s hand
alone that we are saved! “Be of good cheer, I have overcome the
world.” “We are more than conquerors
through him that loved us.”

OUR SINFUL SELF

Exodus 17: 2:
Wherefore the people did chide [strive] with Moses, and said, Give us water that
we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? wherefore do ye
tempt the LORD? 3: And the
people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and
said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of
Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?

Again, we see that it is
our sinful self that we need to be saved from.After all this time, after all
that Moses had suffered for their sakes, they showed a total distrust, even
suspicion of Moses, as if Moses were hiding water from them. Again, they accused Moses of bringing them out
of Egypt to kill them.But murmuring
against Moses they were really tempting the LORD—"And
he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of
the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, Is the LORD
among us, or not?” (v7)

Bear
in mind, that very morning they ate manna that God provided them from heaven!Then this quickly they said, “Is the LORD among us, or not?” They had
seen the LORD provide a passover lamb for them by which he ransomed them from
bondage.The children of Israel were
witnesses to God providing them deliverance from Pharaoh and his army.They had seen God provide the tree to sweeten
the waters at Marah, provide the manna and sabbath rest.All this the LORD did just for them and no
one else.Still they questioned, “Is the LORD among us, or not?”

Believer,
that is you and me. This is an example
of our sinful flesh.Will a believer do
that?This morning we hear the gospel
and feast upon Christ the Bread that God himself has given. But sometimes we hardly get out the door, and at
the least trouble, we act like we never ever tasted the Lord’s grace!

God
has put in every true believer a new
spirit in the new birth where Christ
abideth!That new man is created in
righteousness and holiness by Christ Jesus our Righteousness, our
Sanctification, after his image.And all
our good fruit—faith, love, mercy,
longsuffering—is produced by Christ by the Holy Spirit.But there is still an old man in us that is
of Adam: and all our sinful fruit is of us from our old man of sin.The apostle Paul was a regenerated believer
when he spoke of himself as a sinner in the present tense.

Romans 7: 18: For I know that in me (that is in my
flesh) dwelleth [right now] no good thing.

Romans
7: 24: O wretched man that I am!

1
Timothy 1: 15: This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation,
that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.

JC Philpot
said, “Temptation is to the corruptions
of the heart, what fire is to stubble.”

Brethren,
for you and I who profess to be born of God, let us ask this about ourselves, “Do
I put on the new man only when I come
here? Then put on my old man when I head
out the door?”If that is the case,

Ephesians
4: 20: ye have not so learned Christ; 21:
If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is
in Jesus: 22: That ye put off
concerning the former [conduct] the old man, which is corrupt according to the
deceitful lusts; 23: And be
renewed in the spirit of your mind; 24:
And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and
true holiness

What does Christ mean when he
teaches us to put off the old man with his conduct and put on the new?

Ephesians 4: 31:
Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be
put away from you, with all malice: 32:
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as
God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you. 1: Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; 2: And walk in love, as Christ also
hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God
for a sweetsmelling savour.

For a true child of God,
the gospel is not just something we hear preached.Christ is not just a system of doctrine we
use to debate.The gospel is not just
the word we hear in this place.God’s
word goes with us, abiding in our hearts every day of the week. It is the living word!Christ is our Life!

Do
we receive admonitions and warnings from brethren like Moses gave them?Do we receive those admonitions as what they
are? Admonitions and warnings from a
brother in Christ, especially our pastors, is the love of a brother who wants
the best for us. Though they treated Moses
with utter contempt, by God’s love bringing Moses to this end, Moses showed
them God-given love by telling them the truth—"Why chide ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt the LORD?”That
word of correction was the most loving thing Moses could do for them. And understand, that was not Moses speaking of
himself to them; that was Christ rebuking God’s elect among them through Moses.

Brethren never
forget that God speaks to us through our brethren! Never refuse personal
exhortation or rebuke from a brother in Christ.It is love.If I get too
high-minded for that then I am in darkness for sure because I am refusing to
hear God speak to me! I have said this
many times to you and I will say it again: a believer proves he is taught of
God and needs not that any man teach him, when he is content for God to teach
him through a man.

God recorded this about the
children of Israel to teach his people today—you and me. The Spirit of God
says,

1 Corinthians 10: 11: Now all these things happened
unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the
ends of the world are come. 12: Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth
take heed lest he fall. 13: There hath no temptation taken you but such as is
common to man:

The devil would love for me to exalt myself by thinking, “My brethren can’t admonish me because they
have never suffered so severe a trial as I am suffering.”If anyone knew about that trap, it was the
apostle Peter. After his great trial, he
taught us what he learned,

1 Peter 5: 8:
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion,
walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 9: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same
afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. 10: But
the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus,
after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen,
settle you.

That is what Paul is saying
here in 1 Corinthians 10:

1 Corinthians 10: 12: Wherefore let him that
thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. 13: There hath no temptation taken
you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not
suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation
also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

God will use his earthen vessel to turn us from self to that Way of
escape the same as he used Moses to turn the children of Israel—the same as he
used the apostle Peter and Paul. Christ
is the Way.No matter how uncommon our trial
may be, Christ was “in all points tempted
like as we are, yet without sin.”So
let us hear our brethren’s reproof and admonition as the love of brethren who
want what is best for us and let us flee to Christ.

THE WAY OF ESCAPE

Exodus 17: 4: And Moses cried unto the LORD,…5: And the LORD said unto Moses, Go on
before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod,
wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go. 6: Behold, I will stand before thee
there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall
come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight
of the elders of Israel.

That Rock is Christ.

1 Corinthians 10: 1: Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that
all our fathers…4:…did all drink
the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed
them: and that Rock was Christ.

Next time, we are going to look at the Smitten Rock more fully.For now, get this: in every trial, God’s
purpose is to show us our sin and weakness, to turn us from self, and to teach
us again that Christ is our Rock, our Salvation, “that we might be partakers of his holiness.” (Heb 12: 10)

Every trial is God’s
chastening hand keeping his child sanctified from self and this world into
Christ our All! We see this in each
trial they have faced.

Their first trial was Egyptian bondage—Adam’s fall brought us all into the bondage of sin, like
Egypt’s bondage. The purpose for which
God brought them into Egyptian bondage was to show God’s elect our inability to
save ourselves and to exalt Christ our Passover by whose blood we are redeemed
from the curse of the law.That is why
God purposed for Adam to fall and plunge the whole human race into sin.If the first trial for man was to turn us
from our sinful self and exalt Christ then we know every other lesser trial is
for the same purpose.

Their second trial was at the Red Sea—they went out of Egypt with a high hand. So God brought them to be trapped before
Pharaoh to bring them down.Through the
trial, God showed them their total inability then God made them sing his
praises for delivering them and destroying their enemies.That is what God does in every trial we face.

Their third trial was at Marah—God showed them their dryness and bitterness by
leaving them to themselves which resulted in murmuring against God and his
servant.But through that trial, God
turned them from self when he revealed to them the sweetening tree.That tree pictured Christ who bore the cross.He makes the bitter-waters sweet for God’s
chosen.That is the purpose of our
trials.

The fourth trial was the wilderness of Sin—God himself said the manna and sabbath day was to prove
who would obey him.The gospel is the
trial of all trials, the test of all tests.It declares that the work of God is to believe on Christ the Bread from
heaven.The gospel declares Christ is the
Sabbath Rest for the believer.Through
the gospel trial, God proves who obey God.The gospel-trial makes those who are obedient repent from our will and
works and believe on Christ our Bread.And
all who believe on Christ live by faith, not by works, resting in Christ our
Sabbath every day of the week. This is
the trial that proves who are God’s and who are not.

This fifth trial was here in Rephidim—God showed them how soon they would murmur.By this he was turning them from self to
Christ the Rock.Christ was smitten by
the law of God and satisfied justice for his people.Therefore, through his blood, Christ sends
the promised, Holy Spirit, the Living Water, who brings us to faith in Christ, making
the believer never thirst again.

So we see that every trial
for the believer brings us to the feet of Christ where we confess our sins and
cast all our care on him. God says,

Hebrews 3: 8: Harden not your hearts, as in
the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: 9: When your
fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years…12: Take heed,
brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing
from the living God. 13: But exhort one another daily, while it is called To
day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14: For we
are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence
stedfast unto the end;